This invention relates to vehicle washing, and particularly to an improved apparatus for automatically washing the exterior of an automobile or other similar vehicle.
Automatic vehicle washing apparatus is well known. The apparatus typically takes one of two generic forms. In one form, an automobile is moved by a conveyor through successive stations at which various washing operations take place, such as wetting, scrubbing and rinsing. The second approach is to automatically perform these same operations upon a stationary vehicle. The present invention is adaptable to both forms of washing apparatus.
A principal problem associated with all types of automatic car washes is the abrading that results to the surface of the vehicle during the scrubbing operation. The scrubbing is usually accomplished by rotating brushes that include relatively stiff bristles of synthetic resin material, or occasionally strips of fabric, either woven or felted. In either case, the high speed action of the brushes against the surface of the vehicle contributes to scratching and abrading, particularly if there is insufficient water to lubricate the surface as the scrubbing occurs.
The present invention provides an automatic vehicle washing apparatus which will more gently clean the surface of a vehicle than has heretofore been possible.